English Tenses

Verb tense expresses the

time of an event or action.

Time and how it is

expressed in writing is
very important to English
readers.
 ……………………………Continued
1. Present simple
2. Past simple
3. Future simple
4. Present perfect
5. Past perfect
6. Future perfect
7. Present continuous
8. Past continuous
9. Future continuous
10.Present perfect continuous
11.Past perfect continuous
12.Future perfect continuous
 Present Simple
  It requires using the base form of the verb e.g. I take, you take, we take,
they take. With singular noun and third person pronoun “s” is added at
the end e.g. She takes.
Uses
 For habits
He drinks tea in the morning.
She only eats fish.
They watch television regularly.
 For repeated actions or events with adverbs of frequency (often,
seldom, sometimes or never etc.)
We never catch the bus at 9:00 am.
It rains every afternoon in the hot season.
They seldom drive to Monaco.
………………………………Continued
 For general truths
Water freezes at zero degree Celsius.
The Earth revolves around the Sun.
Her mother is Punjabi.

 To express fixed arrangements, present or future:

Your exam starts at 9:00 am.
The train leaves at 11:00 am tomorrow.

 To express future time, after some conjunctions

(time markers): after, when, before, as soon as,
until:
He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.
She'll see you before she leaves.
Simple Past Tense

 The simple past tense is used to talk about a completed

action in a time before now. The simple past is the
basic form of past tense in English. The time of the
action can be in the recent past or the distant past and
action duration is not important.
Functions
 You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so
it is associated with certain past time expressions

 frequency: often, sometimes, always

I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
I often brought my lunch to school.

 a definite point in time (adverb of time): last week, when I was a child,

yesterday, six weeks ago
We saw a good film last week.
Yesterday, I arrived in Lahore.
She finished her work at seven o'clock
I went to the theatre last night
 Present Progressive/
Continuous
As with all tenses in English, the speaker's attitude is as important as the time of
the action or event. When someone uses the present continuous, they are thinking
about something that is unfinished or incomplete

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS IS USED:

 to describe an action that is going on at this moment: 
 You are using the Internet.
  You are studying English grammar.

 to describe an action that is going on during this period of time or a trend: 

 Are you still working for the same company?
 More and more people are becoming vegetarian.
……………………………..Continued

 to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been

planned or prepared: 
 We're going on holiday tomorrow. 
 I'm meeting my friend tonight. 
 Are they visiting you next winter?

 with "always, forever, constantly", to describe and emphasize a continuing

series of repeated actions: 
 Harry and Sally are always arguing! 
 You're constantly complaining about your class fellows!
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

 Past Continuous Tense is used to mention an ongoing action

of the past.
Functions
 Often, to describe the background in a story written in the
past tense.

 "The sun was shining and the birds were singing as the

elephant came out of the jungle. The other animals were
relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved
very quickly. She was looking for her baby, and she didn't
notice the hunter who was watching her through his
binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was
running towards the river...“
 to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by
another event or action, e.g. "I was having a beautiful
dream when the alarm clock rang.“

 to express a change of mind: e.g. "I was going to spend

the day at the beach but I've decided to get my
homework done instead.“

 with 'wonder', to make a very polite request: e.g. "I was

wondering if you could prepare dinner for me tonight."
Present Perfect tense

 The present perfect tense is a verb tense used to

express actions that occurred at a non-specific time.
The present perfect tense is also used to express
actions that started in the past but continue to the
present.
Functions

THE PRESENT PERFECT IS USED TO DESCRIBE

 An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present.
  I have lived in Bristol since 1984 (= and I still do.)

 An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. 

 She has been to the cinema twice this week (= and the week isn't over yet.)

 A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. 

 We have visited Portugal several times.

 An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by 'just’.
  I have just finished my work.
Past Perfect Tense

 It indicates that an action was completed (finished or

"perfected") at some point in the past before something
else happened. 
Examples

Event A Event B
Saad had gone out when I arrived in the office.
Event A Event B
I had saved my document before the computer crashed.
Present Perfect Continuous

 The present perfect continuous is used to refer to

an unspecified time between 'before now' and 'now'.
The speaker is thinking about something that started
but perhaps did not finish in that period of time. 
………………………………Continued

 ACTIONS THAT STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUE IN THE PRESENT

 She has been waiting for you all day (= and she's still waiting now).
I've been working on this report since eight o'clock this morning (=
and I still haven't finished it).
 They have been travelling since last October (= and they're not
home yet).

 ACTIONS THAT HAVE JUST FINISHED, BUT WE ARE INTERESTED IN THE

RESULTS
 She has been cooking since last night (= and the food on the table
looks delicious).
 It's been raining (= and the streets are still wet).
 Someone's been eating my chips (= half of them have gone).
Past Perfect Continuous

 The PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE indicates

a continuous action that was completed at some point
in the past. 
Examples
 We had been trying to open the door for five minutes
when Jane found her key.
 It had been raining hard for several hours and the
streets were very wet.
 Her friends had been thinking of calling the police
when she walked in.
……………………………..Continued

 This form is also used in reported speech. It is the

equivalent of the past continuous and the present
perfect continuous in direct speech:
 Jane said, "I have been gardening all afternoon." = Jane
said she had been gardening all afternoon.
 Exercise
Insert the appropriate form of the verb given in
bracket along with helping verb (when required):

1. My friend, Ali ---- (live) in Karachi now, but he says he’ll move
soon.
2. Many people usually ---- (spend) most of their time online on
various social media platforms.
3. We ---- (live) in Norway for nearly 25 years until we moved to
Scotland two years ago.
4. During our vacation last summer, we ---- (spend) most of our
time in the swimming pool.
5. While I was sleeping, I ---- (hear) a loud noise.
6. Since its opening in 1974, the Dungeon …………….(attract) many
visitors from all over the world.
7. Besides the regular opening hours, the Dungeon sometimes
also …………. (open) at night.
8. While you ……………..(walk)  around the Dungeon, watch
out for creepy creatures; the Dungeon……………………….
(employ)  actors to give its visitors the fright of their lives.
9. Farah ---- (fail) her driving test three times because she's
so bad at reversing. But she ---- (practice) reversing since
last week and I think she has got a bit better at it.
10. My aunt ----------- (invest) heavily in the air-
conditioning industry before the Great Crash of 1988.
FUNCTIONS OF THE SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

 The simple future refers to a time later than now, and

expresses facts or certainty.
The simple future is used:
 To predict a future event:
It will rain tomorrow.
 With I or We, to express a spontaneous decision:
I'll pay for the tickets by credit card.
 To express willingness: I'll do the washing-up.
He'll carry your bag for you.
 In the negative form, to express unwillingness:
The baby won't eat his soup.
I won't leave until I've seen the manager!
…………………….………Continued

 With I in the interrogative form using "shall", to make an offer:

Shall I open the window?
 With we in the interrogative form using "shall", to make a
suggestion:
Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
 With I in the interrogative form using "shall", to ask for advice
or instructions:
What shall I tell the boss about this money?
 With you, to give orders:
You will do exactly as I say.
 With you in the interrogative form, to give an invitation:
Will you come to the part with me?
Will you accompany me?
Future Continuous Tense

 The future continuous refers to an unfinished action or

event that will be in progress at a time later than now.
The future continuous is used for quite a few different
purposes.
 The future continuous can be used to project ourselves
into the future.
Functions

 The future continuous can be used to project ourselves

into the future
 Just think, next Monday you will be working in your
new job.

 The future continuous can be used for predicting or

guessing about future events.
 He'll be coming to the meeting, I expect.
 I guess you'll be feeling thirsty after working in the sun.
………………………….Continued

 In the interrogative form, the future continuous can be used to ask

politely for information about the future.
EXAMPLES
 Will you be bringing your friend to the party tonight?
 Will Ali be coming with us?
 Will she be going to the party tonight?
 Will I be sleeping in this room?
 The future continuous can be used to refer to continuous events that we
expect to happen in the future.
EXAMPLES
 I'll be seeing Bilal at the conference next week.
 When he is in Australia he will be staying with friends.
 I'll be eating with Aliza this evening so I can tell her.
Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense refers to a completed action in

the future. When we use this tense we are projecting
ourselves forward into the future and looking back at an
action that will be completed some time later than now. It
is most often used with a time expression.
Examples

 Won't they have arrived by 5:00?

 By the time you read this I will have left.
 You will have finished your report by this time next
week.
 Will you have eaten when I pick you up?
Future Perfect Continuous

 Like the future perfect simple, this form is used to

project ourselves forward in time and to look back. It
refers to events or actions in a time between now and
some future time are unfinished. It is most often used
with a time expression.
Formation

Subject + will have been + present participle

He will have been playing.

I will have been playing.

EXAMPLES

 I will have been waiting here for three hours by six

o'clock.
 By 2022 I will have been living in London for sixteen
years.
 When I finish this course, I will have been
learning English for twenty years.
 Next year I will have been working here for four years.
 When I come at 6:00, will you have been
practicing long?
1..

Exercise
1. By 9 o'clock, we -------------(finish)  our homework.

2. They------------ (leave)  the classroom by the end of the

hour.

3. I'm only halfway through my homework. I  ----------------

(not finish) it before the teacher arrives.
4. We----------- (leave)  home by next week.

5.Don’t call me before 8 o'clock, we ………….(have) dinner.

6.If it doesn't come tomorrow, I ___________ (be) without the
projector for a month.
7. Next year, I ----------(study) Maths at university